Court Preliminarily Approves $375 Million UFC Fighter Wage Suppression Settlement

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A $375 million settlement has been reached to resolve a proposed class action lawsuit that claimed Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) parent company, Zuffa, engaged in anticompetitive practices that caused mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters to earn significantly less than they should have been paid.

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The settlement, which received preliminary approval from the court on October 23, 2024, covers anyone who competed in one or more live professional UFC-promoted MMA bouts taking place or broadcast in the U.S. from December 16, 2010 to June 30, 2017.

The official settlement website for the UFC fighter settlement can be found at UFCFighterClassAction.com.

According to court documents, the deal will provide “immediate life-changing and significant cash” to more than 1,000 UFC fighters, many of whom are facing chronic medical conditions, serious financial difficulties and limited access to healthcare needed to treat injuries sustained during their fighting careers.

Class members who file a valid, timely claim form will be eligible to receive a proportional share of the settlement fund based on how much UFC event compensation they earned and the number of bouts they fought during the relevant time period.

ClassAction.org will update this page with more information when the time comes for eligible individuals to submit a UFC fight settlement claim form.

Current and former UFC fighters can also submit their information on the settlement website to receive updates about the case.

Each class member will receive a minimum payout of $15,000, but the average class member is expected to receive $250,000, according to court documents.

“Thirty-five Class Members would net over $1 million; nearly 100 fighters would net over $500,000; more than 200 fighters would recover over $250,000; over 500 fighters would net more than $100,000; and nearly 800 would recover over $50,000,” court documents say.

Related Reading: ‘Only Game in Town’: MMA Fighters’ Wages Suppressed by UFC Monopoly, Class Action Alleges

The initial class action lawsuit against Zuffa was filed in 2014 and alleged that the company violated a federal antitrust law by locking fighters into long-term, exclusive contracts that prevented them from working with would-be rival MMA promoters. According to the case, the lack of competition caused UFC fighters to be paid significantly less than they would have been paid if they’d had more options.

Prior to this settlement, a $335 million deal had been reached to settle both the 2014 class action and a similar lawsuit filed in 2021. However, the proposed deal was denied preliminary approval from the court.

The parties subsequently drafted an improved deal to resolve just the 2014 case, resulting in the $375 million settlement detailed on this page.

The 2021 litigation remains ongoing, providing more UFC fighters an opportunity to seek additional damages and injunctive relief. Court documents show that the prior settlement aimed to force Zuffa to maintain certain business practice changes to give fighters more “freedom, flexibility, and opportunities to earn money from competing in bouts and marketing their likeness.”

Are you owed unclaimed settlement money? Check out our class action rebates page full of open class action settlements.